Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
Machines can already do 18% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 56%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 18% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2034, and 56% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 26,120 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $35,060 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 53% for contact with people.
- Also called: Boarder, Dry Cleaner Presser, Garment Presser, Ironing Machine Operator.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles | 26% | 20% to 60% | |
| Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons | 10% | 20% to 60% | |
| Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables | 10% | 3% to 30% | |
| Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers | 8% | 20% to 60% | |
| Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing | 8% | 20% to 60% | |
| Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed | 6% | 30% to 75% | |
| Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them | 4% | 20% to 60% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills pressers, textile, garment, and related materials use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers54% of tasks by 2035 · US median $34,890
- Furniture Finishers50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $44,540
- Slaughterers and Meat Packers52% of tasks by 2035 · US median $40,130
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons53% of tasks by 2035 · US median $40,470
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2034. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of pressers, textile, garment, and related materials?
Machines can do 18% of the tasks of pressers, textile, garment, and related materials today and 56% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 51-6021.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/pressers-textile-garment-and-related-materials/